Gus Johnson had his reasons for calling out the Ohio State Buckeyes' distribution of rev-share dollars as an athletic department after taking a 70-66 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in the Nashville Hoops Showdown. They were even good ones.
Those reasons were just a bit delusional, though. No big deal.
Johnson said on Saturday that "the difference between UVA and Ohio State is that UVA paid for it,” but that “Ohio State, they’ve given all the money to Ryan Day.” He'd be 100% correct about that statement. The Buckeyes basketball team collectively makes less than $5 million. There are multiple quarterbacks in College Football making more than that.
Still, there's no reason OSU should change its strategy. Making March Madness and even winning the NCAA Tournament is nowhere near as lucrative as making the College Football Playoff. The latter has 10x the payout.
Of course, Gus Johnson has to say this, though, to drum up interest in College Basketball, which doesn't have nearly the audience of its gridiron counterpart. Bringing OSU football into the mix will always reach a greater audience, especially with such a spicy all-out.
Football players get paid more than basketball players for a reason
Basketball is a short-term investment, since players only have to play one season before heading to the NBA. Charles Barkley has said he'd never pay for an Auburn Tigers basketball recruit, though he'd be more open to considering buying a football recruit. That's likely a shared sentiment for many spirited alumni around the country at various levels of Power 4 athletics.
There's also a good reason College Football players are seeing payouts that only the best of the best in hoops are seeing: football players don't have the earning potential or shelf-life of NBA-level basketball players.
NBA max contracts are fully guaranteed, while skill-position deals in the NFL are the only ones typically given maximum protection from injuries. Of course, football produces more severe injuries that would cause a player to miss time or not fulfill his contractual obligations than basketball.
There's a shorter window for football, and College Football requires three seasons of participation. Maximizing that window, for a sport that inspires infinitely more excitement and general happiness for the public than basketball, makes dollars and sense. A lot. Of both.
Lex Wesner is a vile person by any stretch, but the man/alleged reptilian being in a skin suit sure knows what rev-share contracts to sign off on.